It's All Because Of Dolphins
by Ottsel Cath
Summary: She couldn't understand how she thought she would get away with swimming in the same dolphin tank as Chris, who had his eyes closed, without exposing the biggest secret of her life. (This is my take on the episode The Job and how I think things could have turned out.) One-shot.


**It's All Because of Dolphins**

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Chris was silently contemplating the sparkling water in front of him. It was the only thing that provided him the smallest bit of comfort after his conversation with Dr. Ross. His entire life, he had dreamed about earning his place at the Marine Institute in San Diego where he could learn about the thing he was the most passionate about: the sea. For him, there was nothing more special than the sea and he wanted to discover its secrets. He knew pretty much anything there was to know about it, and especially about dolphins. He wanted to become a dolphin trainer and learn to interact with the mammal.

Sadly, he couldn't get what he had always dreamed about. Working at the Marine Park was a brilliant way for him to observe dolphin trainers in action and to learn the basics. He was hoping that it was enough for him to get into the program, but it didn't. The position at the San Diego Institute was filled with someone else and that was why he was so upset and found himself staring at the dolphin tank in front of him.

He snapped out of his thoughts when the petite, but fierce brunette that started working at the Marine Park on that very walked up to him and thanked him for his help. The mermaid, unknown to the boy, had made the mistake of parking her cart on a small slope, which ended up in it falling over and Chris helping her pick up everything that fell. What surprised him the most was that she was actually sympathetic about what happened between Dr. Ross and him. He didn't necessarily want to talk to her about it though, but she persuaded him to talk.

There was just something special about that girl to Chris. She was fiery and stubborn, but she seemed to have a good heart, and he liked that. She seemed genuine around him and she was trying to make him feel better. That was why he decided that it couldn't hurt to talk to her, to open up about his disappointment and the program he had always dreamed of.

The two seemed to quickly hit it off, finding similar interest, specifically about the sea. The boy was passionate about the ocean, and Mimmi really admired that. Although, she might have let slipped a bit too much information about who she was and her connection to the ocean, but she quickly brushed it off, which went unnoticed to the boy.

He knew an awful lot about the sea and the mermaid couldn't understand how he didn't get into the program. She could feel how much it meant to him and she wanted to do something about it. He told her he couldn't make a connection with the dolphins, so she offered to help him make it.

At first, he refused the offer, thinking she couldn't really do much for him, but as she started to walk away, he realized that even if what she was planning to do to help him didn't work, he could at least say that he tried, so he accepted the mermaid's offer.

She asked him to meet her at the Marine Park an hour and a half before the park actually opens, so they could spend time with the dolphins. Their meeting was okay until Mimmi realized that Chris needed to be taught from the water to connect with dolphins. She tried her hardest to guide him from the sand beside the dolphin pool, but it wasn't working. He needed an expert and she knew she was one. She knew that she could make him connect with the dolphin, but she needed to be in the water with him. That was exactly why she asked him to close his eyes and only to open them when she said so. She didn't want him to see her tail, but she wanted to help him. There was just something about him that was appealing to her, probably his thirst for knowledge and his passion about the sea.

Luckily and happily for her, Chris respected her demand and kept his eyes shut, he couldn't see a ray of light and she was glad she could be in the water with him. He was making a lot of progress with her right beside him and he was finally able to make the dolphin do tricks and to swim with it with fearing the worse.

When he was comfortable enough with the mammal, the mermaid swam away to the shore where she could dry her tail without anyone seeing her. Once her tail was dry, she stood on the sand beside the pool and walked to the edge, careful not to wet her feet, to tell Chris he could open his eyes.

"How was that?" Mimmi asked the boy as he walked to the shore to join her. She gave him a towel while he ran towards her, so he could dry off a bit and reduce the chances of her skin coming in contact with water.

"Fantastic!" He answered simply, but enthusiastically. "Everything you said was right. All I had to do was relax and let her feel that she could trust me."

"Told you," Mimmi said, teasing.

"How do you know all this stuff?" Chris asked. "Who are you?"

Mimmi had to think for a second to make sure she wouldn't spill any detail about her true identity, but she brushed his question off quickly.

"Just someone … who knows a bit about dolphins," she answered trying to sound as genuine as possible.

"I get the feeling I'm not getting the whole picture here, but you know what, I don't even care," Chris said. "That was truly the most awesome thing ever, Mimmi, thank you."

At this point, the mermaid was mentally swooning. No one had ever made her feel what she felt at that exact moment and she knew that was because Chris was special. Sure, he was a teenage land boy, but he had so much in common with her, that she couldn't help, but like him.

She kept smiling and staring into his gorgeous blue eyes while he did the unexpected and leaned in so his lips would meet hers. Their kiss wasn't long, but it was meaningful. Mimmi did not know if she was doing things right, but it was making butterflies flutter in her stomach and her smile widened.

They broke apart a couple of seconds later and the two teenagers smiled at each other like two love-struck puppies.

Chris eventually sat down on the dry part of the sand, happily for Mimmi, and patted the space beside him so she would accompany him.

"I still can't believe I just swam with a dolphin," Chris exclaimed. "This is too surreal."

"This must be such an amazing experience!" Mimmi said, hiding the fact that there was nothing more natural to her than swimming with dolphins. She loved to swim with them and even more to talk to them. They had such amazing tales to tell, and they were the funniest sea creatures of all.

"How come you've never swam with dolphins before?" Chris asked. "Considering you know so much about them."

"I just," she started, "Never had the chance."

"Well, you do now!" Chris said as his smile widened. "Why don't you just go in?"

Chris only wanted to please the girl. She seemed to know so much about dolphins and to love them deeply. He really just wanted to return the favour.

"I can't," Mimmi said as a defence mechanism. She wouldn't want to show him her tail right after meeting him. That would be breaking the biggest law of all.

"Wait, you were in the water with me!" Chris realized. "After you asked me to close my eyes, you were right beside me. You took my hand so I could touch the dolphin."

Mimmi's eyes widened in fear, and she looked away from Chris. She needed to find a way to cover this up. She didn't know why she had been so stupid. It was obvious that he was going to question her actions and how she was completely dry after getting out of the water only a couple of minutes before him.

"How?" Chris asked, a confused look on his face.

"What?" Mimmi asked nervously.

"How were you in the water with me and now fully clothed and dry?" Chris asked, his suspicion rising. Suddenly, everything became blurry in Chris's mind. There was no way she could've been in the water with him and be dry by now. Something wasn't making sense to him and he knew the girl had more to hide than how she knows so much about the sea mammal.

"I just…" Mimmi said, "dried really fast."

"Mimmi, that's impossible," Chris stated as he tried to look into her eyes, but she kept looking away so he wouldn't see through her. "Can't you tell me the truth?"

"The truth is not something I like to talk about," the mermaid answered a bit too dryly to her taste. She didn't want to be mean, but she wanted him to brush it off. She knew in how much trouble she would be if he found out. Yet, she's still sitting beside him and she liked being with him.

"Okay, sorry," he said, almost annoyed, but he knew it was his cue to stop talking about this.

There was an awkward pause between the two teenagers, but Chris's mind was still racing, trying to figure out what was so special about Mimmi and her knowledge of the sea.

"So, Mimmi, I've been living in the Gold Coast my entire life and I've never seen you before," Chris stated. "Are you new around here?"

"You could say that, yes," Mimmi answered before realizing how weird that sounded.

Chris raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I mean, I just moved to the Gold Coast from another city near," Mimmi said.

"Where?" Chris asked, genuinely curious about her.

"Hum," Mimmi hesitated. She didn't know any other city name close to where they were. "Sydney."

"Really?" Chris asked. "It's not that close."

"It's still in Australia," Mimmi said. "I was born in Canada, so Sydney is near to the Gold Coast to me."

"That makes sense and that also explains your accent," Chris laughed, "which is cute by the way."

The mermaid blushed and looked down. Chris was just so genuine and sweet around her and she loved how he made her feel. He seemed considerate and understanding even if he was a bit too curious about her situation. Could she blame him though? Anyone would be curious about her behaviour and her knowledge of dolphins.

Mimmi was so caught in her thoughts that she didn't realize that the boy scooted closer to her and rested his arm around her shoulders. At first, she stiffened because that was the first time a boy was getting so close to her and then her eyes widened because she realized too late that the wet fabric of his swim suit brushed against the skin of the thigh.

She got up quickly and tried to think of a quick solution, a solution which didn't end in her transforming in front of him, but it was too late. When Chris realized she looked like she was panicking, he got up and squeezed her hand to reassure her somehow, but he didn't expect what happened next.

Somehow, water seemed to envelop her and the next thing he knew she was flat on the ground. Everything happened so quickly and whatever enveloped her blinded the boy for a couple of seconds. When his eyes readjusted, he noticed what happened to Mimmi; a long and strong golden tail replaced her legs.

"Oh my God," Chris whispered as Mimmi gulped in anticipation. What was he going to do? Was he going to expose her? Was he going to take pictures and show them to the world or was he going to keep quiet?

The teenager slowly sat down beside the mermaid and seemed to be battling with his mind, like too many thoughts were racing at once.

"Please say something," Mimmi demanded shyly, unsure of herself.

"Sorry, this, it's just a lot to take in," Chris answered as he eyed her tail.

"You can touch it, if you want," Mimmi suggested and she noticed how much he was examining every detail of her real self.

"Can I?" He asked. She nodded and he brushed his fingers against her tail. To him, it felt like he was touching a fish. What did he expect though?

"You're a mermaid," he said as if he was trying to convince himself. "That why you know so much about dolphins and how you dried so fast and why you asked me to close my eyes and—'

The boy was caught off with the mermaid laughing.

"Why're you laughing?" Chris asked, surprised and confused.

"I don't understand how I expected to get away with this without exposing myself," Mimmi answered honestly.

"Why did you suggest helping me if you were risking exposing yourself?" He asked.

"I don't know," Mimmi answered. "You're just so passionate about the sea and dolphins and you have that thirst for knowledge that I also have. I kinda saw myself in you and I wanted you to succeed."

"Well, thank you," Chris looked at her and smiled. "I guess you like me."

Her eyes widened for a split second, but they softened almost immediately.

"Maybe I do," Mimmi mumbled, but he still heard her. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm kinda uncomfortable on the sand here."

She put her hand over her tail and started to evaporate the water on it to transform back into her human form. It only took a couple of seconds.

"You have powers, too?" Chris asked in awe.

"All mermaids do," she answered. "They help us keep a low profile."

"What else can you do?" Chris asked curiously.

"All sorts of things really," Mimmi said. "It goes from manipulating water to making ourselves invisible."

"Wow," Chris said. "This is so incredible!"

"Thanks," she said as she looked down. She knew it was the moment she needed to ask him to keep quiet and that she would see his true colours. He would either promise to keep her secret or betray her like probably any human would do. Finding out mermaids are real is an amazing discovery after all.

"Are you okay?" The boy asked as he noticed her swift change of mood.

"I need to know something, Chris," Mimmi said with a shaky voice.

"What is it?" He asked, concerned. He put his hand on her hand to show that he supports her and wants to comfort her.

"I need you to promise me you won't tell anyone about this," she demanded seriously. She had never been more serious in her entire life. This was a matter of getting exposed or not.

The teenager chuckled lightly. "Of course I'll keep quiet. I can't imagine what would happen to you if people found out."

"I'd hug you to thank you right now, but you're still wet and I don't want to transform again," Mimmi said as she sighed and smiled contently.

"How about a kiss, then?" He asked bluntly and his own eyes widened at his own words.

Mimmi looked at him surprised and blushed. She took a couple of seconds to battle in her mind whether this was a good idea or not, but then she realized that the best way to keep her secret wasn't to push him away. Besides, she liked him, so this wasn't torture either.

She smiled at the boy and leaned in to meet his lips for the second time on that day. That kiss was even better than the first one and they both felt it. When they broke apart, Chris rested his forehead on hers and vaguely smiled at her.

"Listen, Mimmi, I really like you," Chris admitted shyly, but it only made Mimmi smile.

"You're not just saying that because I'm a mermaid?" The girl asked, suddenly feeling unsure of herself.

"If I remember correctly, I kissed you before I found out about your tail," Chris stated and the mermaid smiled. "You're as passionate as I am about the sea and you seem like an amazing girl. I would just love to learn to know you."

"Well, in that case, I really like you, too, Chris," Mimmi said. "We do have lots in common and I admire your determination."

"We'll have so much to catch up when I get back," Chris said to the mermaid.

"Get back?" Mimmi asked confused. "You're leaving?"

"The training program is in San Diego, if Dr. Ross offers me a place, I would be leaving for three months," Chris explained to the disappointed girl.

"Oh," Mimmi said in realization.

"That doesn't mean I won't think about you at all," Chris said. "Actually, I think it's going to be hard to get you off my mind."

"I'm going to miss you," Mimmi said, with sadness in her voice.

"I haven't gotten in yet," Chris said.

"Well, here's your chance, Dr. Ross is walking right over here," Mimmi said to her crush.

"Dr. Ross," Chris shouted as he ran towards the owner of the Marine Park. He took one last glance at Mimmi who mouthed a couple of encouragement words. She knew that with what she taught him, he would get the spot and that he would leave for three months.

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 **Well, that's it for It's All Because Of Dolphins. I hope you guys liked it. I really enjoyed writing it. I feel like there aren't lots of uploads anymore on this page and I will try to write a couple more stories in the next couple of months. Thank you all for reading! Peace out :)**


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